“Curiouser and Curiouser”: An Exploration of Research

“Curiouser and Curiouser” is a new short series of blog posts exploring the wonders and frustrations of academic research. I have recently begun my Masters’ degree and that means the research for my dissertation has also started. I do hope you enjoy this series and find it somewhat useful for research projects of your own.

Part I: The beginning

10th October 2018

As I sit pondering over all possible topics that could be covered in my dissertation, I return to the three themes that I obsessed over during my Bachelor’s degree. These are:
1) The Uncanny
2) The Gothic
3) Hysteria (more specifically Nineteenth-Century attitudes and representations).

The question is, how one earth do I combine these into one topic and then, narrow it down to fit neatly in one 16,000-word dissertation? Unfortunately this is the question that has been unanswered for a while.

With a variety of Nineteenth-Century novels, notably Frankenstein (1818 edition), Dracula and Wuthering Heights, flying through my head, a thought begins to emerge.

For my Bachelor’s dissertation I wrote with the focus of the representation of women. So, why not turn my focus onto male characters for this project? One thought led to another and my focus manifested itself. My research will be focusing on male hysteria in Gothic texts of the Nineteenth Century!

And with an idea finally formed for my research, it is time to begin delving into the library books…